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A skyrocketing number of California residents have developed an incurable lung disease linked to kitchen quartz countertops — with many needing lung transplants, according to a terrifying new state study. One of those victims is Enrique Gonzalez, a San Fernando Valley stone worker who has been unable to work for the past two years after developing silicosis from years of working in granite and stone manufacturing. Gonzalez’s family says the disease has made it impossible for him to continue working as his condition has progressed, leaving the family struggling to cover medical expenses and everyday costs. The number of Californians...

Air pollution is a health concern, with over 90% of the world's population breathing air that exceeds World Health Organization safety standards. Fine and coarse particulate matter are especially dangerous. Rsearchers investigated how long-term exposure to particulate matter triggers immune imbalance in the lungs. "Our study reveals how chronic exposure to particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) triggers harmful allergic-like (TH2) immune responses," explains Prof. Hong. The researchers exposed mice to PM10 and PM2.5 daily for 16 weeks. They then analyzed lung tissue, plasma, and immune cell profiles to evaluate how particulate matter affected lung health and immune function. Mice exposed...

Corticosteroids, a commonly prescribed medication to alleviate cancer-related symptoms for non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with immunotherapy, are the main reason certain immunotherapies may fail in treating the disease, according to new research. The study showed that high doses of steroids, when given before and/or during a specific type of immunotherapy, caused patients' tumors to shrink less than those of patients not on steroids. Those patients also did not live as long. "Our findings reveal that steroids stop the body's natural cancer-fighting cells, T-cells, from maturing. This makes them unable to attack the cancer as vigorously as they usually...

Tuberculosis (TB) cases are on the rise, fuelling fears England may see a resurgence of the Victorian-era illness. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures show 4,850 people were struck by the bacterial infection, spread by coughing, in 2023 — marking a rise of almost 11 per cent on the previous year. This is despite 2022 being a bumper year for TB. It marked only the third time cases of the infection have increased nationally over the past decade.

A new intervention which keeps lungs regularly expanding when using a heart-lung machine during heart valve surgery might protect lung function and exercise capacity in adult patients after the operation, a clinical trial has found. The research could benefit similar patients globally undergoing cardiac surgery. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to find out if keeping the lungs regularly expanding, known as low frequency ventilation (LFV), during heart-lung machine in patients undergoing heart valve surgery could be linked to better postoperative lung function and exercise ability. The study also wanted to find out the feasibility and safety of...

In March 2016, top Planned Parenthood officials in California eagerly emailed one another about an upcoming meeting with the state’s then-attorney general, Kamala Harris. The meeting carried so much import that the Planned Parenthood officials met with Harris’ staff ahead of time “to discuss prep,” emails reviewed by The Daily Signal show. About two weeks later, on April 5, 2016, California Department of Justice authorities raided the home of a pro-life journalist in his late 20s—David Daleiden, the head of the Center for Medical Progress, who had recently published videos allegedly showing Planned Parenthood officials gruesomely describing how they extract...

Surgery patients on blockbuster weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy could be at risk of choking to death, a study warns. Researchers in California looked at nearly 1 million Americans who had an endoscopy, which examines the upper digestive tract. They found that patients who underwent the procedure - which involves inserting a tube with a camera on the end down the throat while the patient is sedated- were 33 percent more likely to suffer aspiration pneumonia. This causes food, liquids, or saliva to get sucked into the airway, which could lead to choking and kills nearly 60,000 Americans a...

A protein that shuts down immune cells in the lungs could be key to a new treatment for asthma attacks, a new report says. The naturally occurring protein, called Piezo1, prevents a type of immune cell called type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) from becoming hyperactivated by allergens. An experimental drug called Yoda1 that switches on Piezo1 reduced the activity of these immune cells in mice, alleviating asthma symptoms, researchers report. "Given the importance of ILC2s in allergic asthma, there is an urgent need to develop novel mechanism-based approaches to target these critical drivers of inflammation in the lungs," researcher...

Despite its effectiveness, pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is underused and under-prescribed. The expert panel charged with developing guidance for practitioners is hopeful that the latest Clinical Practice Guideline from the American Thoracic Society will change that. Posted online, the panel issued a "strong recommendation" for PR in adults with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. In addition, strong recommendations that are based upon moderate or high-quality evidence lay the groundwork for developing health care performance measures, which are used to determine clinicians' adherence to specific recommendations (such as referrals of suitable patients to PR). In the U.S., an estimated 30...

Researchers have found that molecules in vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower help to maintain a healthy barrier in the lung and ease infection. The AHR—aryl hydrocarbon receptor—is a protein found at barrier sites like the gut and the lung. Natural molecules in cruciferous vegetables—for example, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, or cabbage—are dietary 'ligands' for AHR, which means, once eaten, they activate AHR. This research now shows that AHR is highly active in endothelial cells lining blood vessels in the lung. The researchers conducted a series of experiments in mice to show how AHR impacts lung barriers. When mice were infected with...

Influenza infection (flu) is a major cause of death around the world. People who die of the flu often have a secondary lung infection with Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria that starts a few days after flu infection begins. A team studied how the flu paves the way for staph infection in the lungs. The researchers found that healthy lungs secrete liquid into their air sacs that prevents a staph infection. The flu blocks this liquid secretion by inhibiting a protein called CFTR, making it possible for staph that are inhaled into the air sacs to stick to the air sac...

People with low levels of vitamin K in their blood are more likely to have poor lung function and to say they suffer with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and wheezing, according to a study. Vitamin K is found in leafy green vegetables, vegetable oils and cereal grains. It plays a role in blood clotting. Researchers say their new findings do not alter current advice on vitamin K intake, but they do support further research to see if some people could benefit from taking vitamin K supplements. The study involved a group of 4,092 people aged between 24 and...

Omega-3 fatty acids, which are abundant in fish and fish oil supplements, appear promising for maintaining lung health, according to new evidence from a large, multi-faceted study in healthy adults. The study provides the strongest evidence to date of this association and underscores the importance of including omega-3 fatty acids in the diet, especially given that many Americans do not meet current guidelines. There's increased interest in trying to understand whether nutritional interventions could contribute to lung disease prevention efforts. Past studies have suggested that omega-3 fatty acids may help, due largely to their established anti-inflammatory actions. However, robust studies...

A small randomized trial in patients with post-COVID syndrome has found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy promotes restoration of the heart's ability to contract properly. The study enrolled 60 post-COVID syndrome patients with ongoing symptoms. Both hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients were included. Severe COVID cases were excluded. Patients were randomized to HBOT or a sham procedure in a 1:1 ratio. Each patient had five sessions per week over eight weeks, for a total of 40 sessions. The HBOT group received 100% oxygen through a mask at a pressure of 2 atmospheres for 90 minutes, with 5 minute air breaks every 20...

What happened in East Palestine, Ohio is being called the worst environmental disaster in American history and the Biden administration is mostly ignoring it. Now members of congress are calling for Pete Buttigieg to be impeached.

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) users have greater lung inflammation than cigarette smokers and non-smokers, according to a study. This study is the first to provide evidence that vaping e-liquids with e-cigarettes creates a unique inflammatory response in the lungs that is different from cigarette smoking. E-cigarette usage has increased dramatically in the past several years, particularly among adolescents and young adults. While many people assume that e-cigarettes are safer than conventional cigarettes, e-cigarettes can cause pulmonary inflammation and increase the risk of lung disease. In addition, their long-term safety has not been rigorously evaluated. This is the first PET study to...

Bronchial asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that is reversible in certain cases, usually presents with cough, difficulty of breathing, and wheezing. Although most people can successfully control asthma using inhaled corticosteroids, approximately 10% of patients are resistant to treatment. Recent evidence has suggested a link between excessive intake of fatty acids and exacerbation of asthma, but the details of the relationship had remained elusive. A study focused on the function of an enzyme called ELOVL6, which is responsible for the biosynthesis of long-chain fatty acids in humans. Dysfunction of ELOVL6 has been linked to various immune-related conditions,...

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis could become the first degenerative disease to be treated through the science of aging. It was known that this disease is associated with the aging process, but its molecular causes were unknown. The Telomeres and Telomerase Group has been working for years to unravel them. In their findings, they have narrowed down exactly which cells give rise to fibrosis when they undergo alterations due to the aging process: alveolar type II pneumocytes, the cells responsible for regenerating lung tissue. "The relevance of this finding is that it indicates which cells in particular should be targeted in any...

The average person will take more than 600 million breaths over the course of their life. Every breath stretches the lungs' tissues with each inhale and relaxes them with each exhale. The mere motions of breathing are known to influence vital functions of the lungs, the production of air-exchange-enhancing fluid on their inner surfaces, and maintenance of healthy tissue structure. Now, new research has revealed that this constant pattern of stretching and relaxing does even more—it generates immune responses against invading viruses. The research team discovered that applying mechanical forces that mimic breathing motions suppresses influenza virus replication by activating...

Lung function declines with increasingly severe gum disease, according to research. "Our study indicates a link between periodontal disease and lung function meaning that good dental hygiene may benefit both oral and respiratory health," said study author Dr. Anders Røsland. The average age of those with severe periodontitis was 55 years and 59% were men. Smoking was significantly more common in people with moderate or severe periodontitis compared with the healthy/mild group. Lung function was assessed using spirometry, which measures the volume of air exhaled from the lungs and the flow rate of air. The researchers measured forced expiratory volume...